We’ve just had the Agility Nationals 2010 here in WA.
Boy what a nationals it was too.
Diva wasn’t supposed to be there (the plan was she would be having puppies).
The Nationals was on Thursday to Sunday. The Sunday was for the finals and the other 3 days had qualifying heats in the morning and games in the afternoon.
So the plan is to get into the finals on the Thursday and you can have a relaxing next 2 days. Well as we all know things don’t always go to plan – nowhere near.
The build up to the nationals was all but mental for me. As I mentioned Diva was supposed to be having pups - and if you read my last post you will know that it didn't work out.
We had just had the States a couple of weeks before and I knew Diva wasn't running right. I thought at the time it was due to her not doing any agility since January - not even training - but thought I'd better check her out anyway and managed to get an appointment with Deb Nook. Wee Diva's back was very sore so Deb done the acupuncture and I was giving her heat and massages.
Deb and I had spoken about the Southern River trial which was 2 days after her appointment and said see how she goes - well she worked brilliantly so that was good news. I was concerned about trialling for 4 days and Deb had said to me to make sure she was warmed up properly and if she looked sore at all to pull her out of the nationals - not a problem.
This year it was held right here in my “home state” of WA. I can now officially call this my home state since I’ve been here for 8 brilliant years and loving it still.
The setup, smooth running, prizes and goodies were fab. I have to say hats off to the WA team who made it such a memorable Nationals - was obvious how much work went into it - well done to they guys.
Note - there's the short version and the long version - if you want the long version keep reading all - but make sure you have a cup of coffee and a packed lunch by the computer, lol.
Short version:
Most importantly - no dogs were injured - phew!!!!! So regardless of the results this was a good trial :-)
Qualifying heats for the finals:
Thursday - Mini - nothing Diva - nothing
Friday - Mini - nothing Diva - nothing
Saturday - Mini - nothing Diva - masters jumping made finals
Games:
Thursday - Snooker
Novice snooker - Mini - 12th Diva - 1st woohooo (first time played)
Friday - Gamblers
Novice Gamblers - Mini - 9th - go the minmin
Excellent Gamblers - Diva - nothing
Saturday - Strat Pairs
Excellent strat pairs - Mini and Dancer - 6th
Masters strat pairs - Diva and Epic - 1st - woooohoooooo!!!!!
Finals: Masters jumping
Mac's Disco Diva - 1st 500 - woooohoooooo
Mac's Disco Diva - 1st overall - bigger woooooohooooooooooo!!!!!!
So big thanks to
Deb Nook for fixing her up and helping us get where we did
Di Rose for making it possible for us being in the Nationals
Wooohoooo - soooo proud of my wee Diva - to my buddy Sam W. - we done it :-)))
Long version:
Thursday:
Masters agility – Diva was soooooooo unlucky – I late called her after a tunnel and she had to pull off a dogwalk (which was in her line after the tunnel) but I didn’t properly work the bar she was supposed to take and she was upon it at 90 degrees and still tried to jump it – down it came, and only just too. The rest of the run was fantastic – but didn’t cut the mustard.
Masters jumping – not so kind to us this time. My head was elsewhere and Diva too – she dropped the spread on a straight line leadout, WTF. Very unlike her. I must’ve done something stupid though to give her another signal, that’s more like the real story, lol - continued on and got lost on the course (about jump number 6) – thanked the judge and out we came.
Mini in Novice agility. Awww – if I could just run faster, lol. Mini was on the homeward stretch and was to do a line of jumps after the tunnel – but spotted the table to the right and pulled off the tyre and headed to the table – No points for guessing what’s been a high reward obstacle vbg.
Excellent jumping – she was a superstar. I made the mistake of doing a cross at the wrong point and set up her line wrong so that she was heading to the tunnel and not the jump before it – awwwwwwww!!!!!!!
So definitely no relaxing 2 days ahead for us then.
Thursday afternoon we had Novice Snooker. I hadn’t ever played snooker with wee Diva before. And apart from me nearly stacking it on the course and diva doing half of the 3rd dogwalk with 3 legs (she mounted it funny and had only 3 legs on for the full of the up ramp and managed to correct herself on the along plank) we got clear, phew!!!! We knew it would be close ‘cause Jodes and Tivy had done a specky round, but also with a hiccup at a tunnel and Cathy and Snazzy done a lovely round and also done a widey like us at the 2nd jump, and another fast dog from over east, Jazz with Geraldine (which I hadn’t seen but was told) done an amazing run. Wee Diva got First place – woohoo. The times were incredibly tight from 1st to 3rd being half a second separating the 3.
Then I had the min in or as Jody calls her “de min” – She went over the first bar, cut behind me, managed to get on the walk, done the next jump, 2nd walk, 3rd jump and pulled off so I had to take her back to it, 3rd walk, then closing sequence, she barked and barked all the way around the course, headspace somewhere else but having a ball – yay she got clear – De Min got 12 place – go Minmin – so proud of her and she’s loving it
Friday
I really wanted at least 1 pass out of the 2 dogs. Masters agility was over in a flash. I hadn’t walked the excellent jumping course yet and it was being called 5 minutes to walk it. I was getting myself all worked up and flustered. Agility started with a straight jump and then onto a perpendicular threadle and into the weaves. We love threadles and ever since Stacey Peardot came over I can now actually do them nicely – until this day. I called diva over the first bar was sent her behind the first bar of the threadle rather than straight over it – looking back I have absolutely no idea how we done that ‘cause if we really were supposed to do that there would be no way I would have ever thought I could get that manoeuvre from her from the distance and position I was standing - I thanked the judge and we came out so I could walk Mini’s course.
Masters jumping was also a hardline story. We started off beautiful and fast and out of a tunnel there were 2 jumps side by side – Diva was to take the one closest to me, I said her name – twice (in fact it was “div, div”) but obviously didn’t hold her to the bar and she took the wrong one. I called her back and we had a bit of a discussion that her name is Div and not actually Deafy, so we completed the course in a rather lovely manner – owwwwww.
Novice agility – Mini was great. She done almost all of the course – all we had left was a walk and a couple of jumps – so there was a straight line of jumps down and the dogs had to turn 180 degrees to get onto the walk – mini races down the line of jumps and to the side of the ring was a girl playing with her dog – Mini decided to take a wide turn, looking at the dog and by the time she looked back she had passed the plane of the walk, jumped onto the colour of the up ramp which was now facing 90 degrees of her and jumped off again – she’s such a nosey parker, lol.
Excellent jumping – Well as I mentioned earlier in Diva’s agility run they had called 5 minutes to walk the course when I was running her and we stuffed up so came out. I gave diva to Michelle and ran straight to the excellent course. I just got there and the steward was taking the flag down – I said to him – you’ve just called 5 minutes to walk this course – he said no the judge wants to get started now so we’re starting now – WTF. So I didn’t get to walk the course so had to pay particular attention as it wasn’t a straightforward round – a few twists and call offs. So in we go and OMG we almost got it. I had remembered most of the course – and things look completely different from looking at it from the sideline to when you’re actually upon the obstacles. So we’re nearly finished the course and I thought there was another turn or pinwheel and called mini off the bar straight ahead of her that she was heading to – Mini can obviously count as this was the correct obstacle next – doh!!!! All went to pot after that – we got DQ’d.
Again no quails for the finals – doh!!!
Gamblers in the afternoon was great. Diva was in excellent and done a million and one points and after 45 seconds of directing, calling and running all I needed to do was take a few extra steps put her in the tunnel and run down the gamble line of jumps – well fatty, get a move on she said to me – I truly ran out of steam – the buzzer went and the tunnel looked like a taxi trip away – I seriously can’t make it – OMG Jenny Craig’s gonna be calling me – I didn’t even work the tunnel and she went in the wrong end – doh. She also knocked a bar on the line back – I think that was the point where I collapsed on the ground, lol. Well not quite but almost.
Mini was in novice and I had a lovely course planned out for her. So off we go and she started off flying, but decided to jump off her walk contact – what the – so we go back over it and that’s my course stuffed up. But Mini did do a right hand weave – wooooooohooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!! The most funniest thing though was as the buzzer called we were right there so her time would’ve been lovely (points not so good) – and I sent her into the tunnel and she was to do a straight of I think 4 jumps – so she pulled off the bar – straight in front of her – oh no, not again – so I called her back and around me and sent her out (luckily no refusals in gamblers) and she got the other jumps - Come on Minxter. Ended up getting 9th – phew!!!!! We were only 10 points and 6 seconds behind Snazzy (winner) – so close one there – lol, yeh right.
Saturday
Last day of the qualifying heats and I couldn’t even get my dogs around clear – making it to the finals or not – still couldn’t get a clear what-so-ever. It’s such a shunt to the confidence. I know there were almost’s and nearlies and if only’s – but that doesn’t help when your confidence is shattered.
Diva went into Masters jumping and on about bar number 4 I heard it skiff – whooooo horsey, take it easy – just get around clear. I’ll be spewing if I push her and we make a mistake – this is the last chance we have – so steadily we went around – and woooooohooooooooo, finally we got a clear round – yes. Now just have to hope that it was in the top 5 to make it to the finals. I honestly had my doubts as the calibre of dogs is just amazing and to get in the top 5 you really want to be pushing them all the way around. She ended up getting 2nd – wooohoooo, go Diva. It obviously was nowhere near as bad as I had though – phew, we made a final – yeeehaaaaa.
Masters agility was really hard lines. I thought she had got clear round with a specky time of 37.6 seconds (fastest was 39.49 seconds) – but she was called on the down dog walk contact – ohhhhhhhh, what a shame. Was still an awesome run though, unlucky Diva.
Mini in Novice agility – again what a shame – she had gotten around half the course, onto the table and it was a jump slightly offset to the right then a tyre back in line with the table then into a tunnel – I didn’t stand far enough over – just one step over to the right, silly me – but mini came off the table and done the tyre straight ahead – her only fault – again.
Excellent jumping – Owwwww, she was such a star – really, done some breathtaking stuff for the Minmin. Near the end I done a front cross to change her direction and she didn’t follow it and kept going straight – over a wrong bar, ooowwwwww. No matter she nailed the opposite end of the tunnel entry better than I ever thought she could be capable of and was bragging to Diva about it too, lol.
Strat pairs was on Saturday afternoon – my most favourite game ever – sooooo much fun. Megan and I have taken the light hearted approach to it and really have a whale of a time running it.
So we had Mini and Dancer in Excellent and Diva and Epic in Masters. The masters course was open for walking so we went to walk it. We started off walking it and excellent got called for open for walking – oh no. But what had been happening at the nationals all weekend was there were 3 course walks depending on the letter you had after your number was what course walk you were. It went A, B or C and A was first walk, B second and C third walk. So Megan looked at my number and it had B at the end B so we’ll go walk the excellent. That we did.
So Mini and Dancer are in Excellent Strat. Pairs. Mini was on the startline and barked soooo much she actually bounced herself to the side and off position to the line of jumps. Mini was soooo wound up – like a clock. Dancer was an absolute legend and didn’t put a foot wrong – she was a star. Mini was a bit more of, hhhmmmmm, she was definitely out to test me, little tyke, lol. They ended up getting 6th – wooohoooo!!!!
So we came out the ring and we had looked at the masters ring which was running – Megan looked at the catalogue and we were on in 3 pairs – can’t be right – we looked at her number and she was “A” – so in this instance the “A” and “B” were for the pairs only – aaaaaarrrrgggg. So we ran to our cars, stuck Dancer and Mini back and grabbed Diva and Epic. Dashed down to the ring to have a look where we were going since we’d only half walked the course. So there was a changeover and I was to do a pinwheel – so Megan – “bling” (which is our word for go, lol) – me “jump one, two, three, bling” – Megan “no you’ve to do the first jump then 1, 2, and back over the first jump for 3, the first jump isn’t in play” – oh ok, then we looked at what was after that and it was time to go in – not feeling very confident at all.
So on the startline and first few changeovers were unreal – then it comes to the pinwheel for me – jumps 1, 2, 3, bling – oh no not yet sorry – jump 4 – bling – but Megan was now set up wrong and had to bring epic back to correctly do the seesaw – silly me!!!! We ended up completing the course. It didn’t quite go to plan and wasn’t as smooth as it could’ve been – but on the other hand it was nowhere near as bad as it felt – they got 1st place – woooooohooooooooo. Their time was 35.90s and second was 39.64s so their round was much much better than we had anticipated.
Sunday came and we were only in the Masters jumping finals – the very last event of the day. Got to watch all the other rings and boy we have some truly amazing dogs. It was brilliant to watch all levels. Congratulations everyone on making the finals.
As master jumping was approaching I was getting more and more nervous. By the time we were ready to go in I was on my 3rd beer and had the bottle with me outside the ring. I placed it on the step ladders which was undercover from the sun and in we went. Phew, don’t think about the crowds, don’t think about it’s the finals – just go in and do it. And that we did – Diva got 1st in 500 and 1st overall – wooohooooo!!! Was very close between 1st and 2nd. Dan (Diva’s wee cousin) was 2nd and 0.3s behind her – which is absolutely nothing. Their times were 27.64s and 27.94s – oh boy, as one is jumping the bar the other is about to take off – wow.
SO this Nationals was great for me. Considering at the last nationals 2 years ago Samroc was so badly injured with the tyre.
So we have it
Mac’s Disco Diva – Master Jumping National Champion
Novice Snooker National champion
Masters Strategic Pairs National Champion
Still on cloud nine and know we will be slammed back to reality at the next trial with the fantastic dogs in WA so want to make the most of it whilst it lasts and bask in the glory for a wee bit longer - Goooooooo Diva!!!!!!
